Harry Kane cut a composed figure as he stepped up to take England’s penalty against the Netherlands on a night where the Three Lions looked a far cry from the team whose conservative brand of football raised the ire of pundits and fans alike.
However, the decision to award the penalty is sure to be a contentious one. But if you look at the situation closely, you would agree that even if it was a bit of a harsh call, the decision of the officials was fair. We explain why even as Gary Neville called it “an absolute disgrace” on ITV sport:
With England trailing 0-1, Kane had got a shot off from a ball that ricocheted off a Orange shirt into his path with Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries trying to block it.
While going for the ball, Dumfries’ boot was a tad high and it made contact with Kane’s follow through with the England skipper going down in the box. The VAR got involved and much to the devastation of Netherlands and their fans, the referee was asked to check the screen beside the pitch and he pointed to the spot.
The penalty call was harsh as it looked like Kane’s boot had collided with Dumfries due to the England skipper’s kicking motion but the referee probably gave it to England because of the Dutch defender going for the challenge with his studs showing.
Also, according to the IFAB rules, if a player charges, jumps at, kicks or attempts to kick the ball in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force, then the offending player will be penalized. As pointed out earlier, even though Dumfries had no ill intention in mind, he did go with his boots up in the penalty box which was adjudged to be an offence by the match officials.
If you follow the Premier League closely, more often than not these calls are given as spot kicks so one can understand why the referee had made the decision.
This was the third quickest comeback by a team in a Euros semi final after France v Yugoslavia in 1960 (12th min) and England v Germany in 1996 (16th) as the match headed to half time with a 1-1 score.
